Am I missing something here?

E

EZTRGT

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Hey Folks,

I've been considering doing some reloading. Pistol specifically but I'd do some .308 Win, too. Not so much for specific recipes or whatever but as a cost saving measure.

But is it really worth the investment in time and money?

Even after the cost of the press, dies, brass cleaning stuff, trimmer, etc. it seems it kind of the same or more than just buying off the shelf.
At Tenda, its $17 for 100/9mm bullets. Yeah, the primers aren't very expensive and the powder is reasonable and I'd be reusing my old brass, but just the bullets alone are half the cost of an inexpensive factory made 9mm. (Tenda has S&B for $14.99 for comparison sake).

is it really worth it as a cost saving measure or is it more for those that want to develop loads for hunting, precision target shooting, etc?

Inquiring, noob, minds want to know?

Thanks for your input.

EZ
Kyle

PS I also get that things are starting to run short on supply. Hence increases in price.
 
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If you shoot cartridges that are readily available in bulk, and your motive is cost savings, then don’t bother.

If you’re looking for accuracy, or unique loads you can’t find on the shelf, then go for it.
 
I did the numbers for another fellow about 6 months ago - petty sure looking at $500-ish in tooling and gizmos if you are starting from scratch. If you baulk at paying $30/box for 20 rounds, and using 2 or 3 boxes per Saturday trip to the range, then loading probably not for you. But, once tools in place, they do not rot. Neither do bullets or brass. I have used 15 year old powder and primers without a hiccup. So, variations in supply, availability, quality, etc. just do not bother me much, any more...
 
As others mentioned, you're looking at the least cost effective round to load for vs buy factory. 9mm bulk is cheeeaaaap stuff so not too many load for it for cost savings alone. Getting into other pistol cals and especially rifle is where you really start to save. Bulk 223 is not the best place to save money but pretty much anything else you can cut costs quite a bit. A better way to look at it is you don't spend less on ammo, you shoot more for the same price. Of course going down the precision rabbit hole you can spend some serious money on equipment and components. But that's another discussion since the goal there is not so much cost savings but maximizing accuracy.
 
It all depends. I can load top quality premium projectile hunting ammunition tailored to my rifle for the cost of the cheapest hunting ammo on the shelf. Factory ammo for 375 ruger is almost $5/round, I can load them for about $1. Generally, you can shoot WAY more for the same cost.
 
It usually comes down to how much you shoot.

I load 9mm for ~0.17 a round. I shoot 40K+ of 9mm a year. So even if I use a retail price of $220 per 1K that means I save $2000 just on "bulk 9mm ammo". That's enough to pay for a lot of equipment.

P.S. That's just 9mm, imagine all the other calibres that cost much more.
 
Reloading allows a regular guy to shoot boutique and African calibers. Also to load very accurate ammo if that is your thing. Unless you shoot lots like the poster above it’s cheaper too. Most 223 and 9mm/40 shooters just buy bulk. Reloading bulk quantities costs more to setup for than hunting rifle reloading.
 
I’ve just started reloading and I’ve already learned that the best ammo for your gun is the stuff you make specifically for it.

Sure, 9mm and .223 might not make sense to load if you can get a bulk deal and don’t care that much about accuracy and/or recoil impulse, but I know I can make loads that are tuned specifically for my competition guns for cheaper than factory as long as I put the work in.

For most other calibres you can see significant cost savings. I figure I can load most .38 Special loads for about half as much as factory and wadcutter loads for about 1/3 the cost.

Of course there are start up costs, but for the price of my Square Deal and related accessories it’ll be about a year and a half of IPSC shooting (in a normal year) for me to break even and I hope to shoot it for another 50 years.
 
Thanks guys for the input.

I don't have a fancy precision .308 and I'm stuck at an indoor range so even bothering to reload that cartridge is probably a waste of money. And if bulk pistol ammo is cheaper, I'll stick to that as I don't compete either. That and better pistol ammo won't make me a better shot, hehe.

Looks like a fun little side hobby tho. If I had more of a valid use for it, I'd give it a try. But for now I guess I'll just stick to the cheap stuff.

Thanks,
EZ
Kyle
 
Another thing to consider, is when the factory ammo disappears from shelves, the reloaders that stocked up on components will still be going to the range.

Auggie D.
 
I used to shoot my 1894 marlin CB in 357 magnum lots more. Now it’s down to maybe maybe 1000 rounds a year, 7 grains unique with lead cast from the tire shop at 20$ a 5 gallon pail and it cost me 80$ in powder and primers. Load those into an old burlap rice sack and when people come out and want to plink hand them rifle and sack and say save the brass, but shoot all you want.

If you put value on your time it’s not such a saving. Would take me a weekend to cast and load all those in the old Lyman single stage. Working an over time shift on the weekend would almost get 1000 rounds of store bought. Factor in the cost to buy faster equipment its probably break even when it comes to pistol rounds.

Still do it though it’s a habit, just like how old ladies darn socks, or I boil down roast chicken bones to make stock, tastes better and it is satisfying to waste less. When friends get to REALLY shoot to their hearts content, its very rewarding seeing them experiment and not worry about burning through a 30$ box of shells. Ya a 22 would be cheaper, but its not the same.

Probably would have shot that gun barrel smooth by now if I didn't cast lead for it.
 
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Large calibers imo are worth it. My hunting rifle reloads cost me $13/box of 20 and shoot sub MOA at 100 meters all day.
 
Auggie Doggie said:
Another thing to consider, is when the factory ammo disappears from shelves, the reloaders that stocked up on components will still be going to the range.

Auggie D.
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This right here. I've lived through at least four major shortages in ammo during my lifetime. But I always have components so I'm still shooting. - dan
 
Potashminer said:
I did the numbers for another fellow about 6 months ago - petty sure looking at $500-ish in tooling and gizmos if you are starting from scratch. If you baulk at paying $30/box for 20 rounds, and using 2 or 3 boxes per Saturday trip to the range, then loading probably not for you. But, once tools in place, they do not rot. Neither do bullets or brass. I have used 15 year old powder and primers without a hiccup. So, variations in supply, availability, quality, etc. just do not bother me much, any more...
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No way. You can get into it for way less than that. You can get the tools required for under $200.

Hell, my RCBS Partner Press was only $100 at Cabelas (on sale of course), and came with a cheap digital scale, loading block, case lube/pad, powder funnel, and a chamfer/deburr tool. Mind you I wouldn't trust the scale for anything but range fodder...

My starting setup was:
Used Lee Hand Press and Lee Scale: $60 for the pair off the EE I think I paid?
New Lee die set: $45
New Lee Hand Primer: $50
box of bullets:$50
Pound of Powder:$50
primers:$5
case lube:$5
case length gauge/cutter:$20

Thats everything you need, including the components for 50-100 rounds (depending on cheap vs premium bullets) of ammo, for $285. You could get a ram prime for $15 instead of $50 for the hand prime, but the hand prime is well worth the extra money.

I tumble lube in an old margarine container, clean my brass in an old juice jug with water/dish soap (when I do wash it, I don't always).

I load for hunting rifles with premium bullets, so I make stuff that would cost $2-3 a shot for half that. I don't bother with loading 9mm or 7.62x39, too cheap to buy bulk, not worth my time.
 
Yep - can't say I would argue your prices - at the time I was going through what was available on-line at Cabela's. One could start much less - like many others, I started with the Lee Loader system - a scoop for powder, pound in the case to neck size, pound out to re-prime, etc. No provision to trim to length at all. If I didn't actually get my first deer with a round from it, I certainly fired off many hundreds of "practice" rounds, made with the Lee Loader, that allowed me to hit the thing! Pretty certain I was looking at a bench mounted press when I was doing up that list - I also have that RCBS Partner Kit from that Cabela's sale - but never used it yet - on the shelf still in its box. Very good deals to be had on EE, for sure, if you know what you need. Like a lot of other things, I think much of that stuff was Dad's or Grandpa's and is being "got rid of" as a result of house move or inheritance.
 
Potashminer said:
Yep - can't say I would argue your prices - at the time I was going through what was available on-line at Cabela's. One could start much less - like many others, I started with the Lee Loader system - a scoop for powder, pound in the case to neck size, pound out to re-prime, etc. No provision to trim to length at all. If I didn't actually get my first deer with a round from it, I certainly fired off many hundreds of "practice" rounds, made with the Lee Loader, that allowed me to hit the thing! Pretty certain I was looking at a bench mounted press when I was doing up that list - I also have that RCBS Partner Kit from that Cabela's sale - but never used it yet - on the shelf still in its box. Very good deals to be had on EE, for sure, if you know what you need. Like a lot of other things, I think much of that stuff was Dad's or Grandpa's and is being "got rid of" as a result of house move or inheritance.
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Yeah, I also started with a lee loader in 303brit, but I decided to skip that part because its really just a gateway drug lol
 
I reload because I enjoy it, and because it presents lots of opportunities for learning ... from others, from books, from the internet, and from my mistakes.
It is something I can do with my sons. It's something I can share with my hunting and shooting buddies, and it happens in a designated space where spouses and small children are normally not welcomed. I appreciate that "escape" time, and "she who must be obeyed" is usually likewise pleased to be relieved of my company while I have retreated to the "gun" room. Reloading also allows me to purchase rifles chambered for less common cartridges, without having to fret about whether or not I'll able to find ammunition for them at local retailers.

I really don't shoot a whole lot any more, but it's always fun to work up a load for a 'new to me' rifle, or to try some new combination of components for an old favorite that's been taking a breather in the back of a gun cabinet for a while. Don't suppose that all told I've saved a bunch of money, but I've had, and continue to have good fun, and have accumulated lots of gear and a fair supply of components over the years.
 
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